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AntiVirus Tutorial l PC
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AntiVirus Tutorial l PCPosted:
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Welcome to Schtickys AntiVirus Tutorial for PC.
What this tutorial will cover:
Pretty much everything
Viruses, viruses, viruses
If you don't know anything about computers, you know that viruses are bad and that you have to protect your computer from being infested with them. The anti-virus companies have a pretty good handle on viruses, but it is not perfect. Currently anti-virus protection is reactive and not proactive in the least bit. The scene is set like this:
A Virus infests 100,000 computers
Anti-virus companies start working on fix
The fix is distributed out to the public
This is problematic, especially if your machine is part of the first wave of attacks. Also, most people don't read up on the latest virus alerts nor do they update their virus definitions. So even though the fix came out in 2001, you still got infected because you don't periodically update your definitions. Anti-virus companies are now incorporating more heuristics. Heuristics involve monitoring program activity on the computer and if the activity "matches" the same activity as a virus would display, then the activity is logged and the user alerted. By incorporating this monitoring into their anti-virus software, any "suspect" activity being performed by a program will alert the user and hopefully stop the machine from spreading the virus to other computers as well as allowing the machine to disinfect itself. This will cut down the number of infected computers. It will also allow you to update your virus definitions in the event that you haven't downloaded the fix yet.
Below are links to update virus definitions for some AV products:
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NOTE: Anti-virus software should be set to automatically run daily. This includes updates and scanning.
Heuristics provide more breathing room before a virus can run rampant. However, they do not provide a perfect solution. In fact, depending on the level setting (high med low), the heuristics engine may set off an alert that a virus is running on your computer when in actuality, all you are doing is saving a Word document. So what do we do to have full virus protection?
Backups, backups, backups
If you routinely backup your system, then not only can you recover from a virus attack, but you can also retrieve files or e-mail that you may have accidentally deleted. You also have protection in case your computer crashes or your hard drive fails. A backup involves "copying" your computer's hard drive to another type of media in case your main drive is damaged by a virus or physical mishap.
STEP 1 - Where to put my backup
There are different media you can use to backup your system:
Floppy disks = 1000 disks per gigabyte
Tape (very expensive)
CD = 2 disks per gigabyte
Zip drive = 4 disk per gigabyte
Jaz drive = .5 disk per gigabyte
Internal hard drive (good choice)
External drive (good choice)
NOTE: Multiply the number by the size of your hard drive and you'll know how many disks you'll need to backup your hard drive. For instance, if you have a 10GB hard drive then you will need 10000 disks (10GB x 1000).
Bottom line: Get another hard drive the same size as your current system. Internal or external? I would say that this boils down to personal preference:
Internal
pros: very convenient, not as expensive as an external l drive (although paying someone to install it will drive up the cost)
cons: must open computer to move or install drive;
drive is not in a protected area
External
pros: easily transferred to another computer and can be stored in a safe place
cons: requires extra space, more expensive than internal drive
Step 2 - Install the new device (hard drive, tape drive)
These instructions should come with the drive.
Step 3 - Boop boop boop...Back it up!
All Windows operating systems have the Backup Utility feature located in the following menu path:
Start - -> Programs --> Accessories - -> System Tools --> Backup
Click on Backup to Launch the Utility
Click the Help menu
Click on the Help Topics item
Here is where you'll have to do a little bit of hunting. Search through the Help Topics and try to locate the instructions for a full backup. In some systems it may not say "full backup". For instance, Windows 2000 refers to a full backup as a normal backup. In any case, you want instructions for the backup that will not only backup your files and folders, but also system files. If you have problems, you can send me an e-mail.
NOTE: Once you find the instructions to run your backup, don't forget to select your destination drive as the new hard drive or whatever media you're backing up to. Also, I would suggest that for your first full backup, you run it overnight when you won't be using the computer, because the backup could take a very long time depending on the size of your hard drive.
Step 4 - Just in case...
If you've found the instructions for the full backup, you probably also notice different backup types listed. The three that we are concerned with are:
Incremental - This backup type will allow you to perform backups after your first full backup of only those files that have changed since the last backup. English: Let's say you're compiling a list of gifts to get me for my birthday, and you have 3 things you're going to get me (thank you). Well, if you have an idea for another a gift (you're the best) there is no need to rewrite the whole list again, you merely add it to the list. Also, let's say one of the items was a 19" flat monitor, but you decide that since I'm such a great person you're going to go with the 21", again, instead rewriting the list, you just change the 19" to 21". This is the concept of incremental backups.
System files - This backup will only backup the system files. This is a time saver if for some reason only your Windows system files need to be recovered and not the whole system.
ERD - The Emergency Repair Disk is a floppy disk that you can boot from that holds the necessary Windows files. If your system is unbootable for some reason, you can use the disk to boot and then run your restore.
Step 5 - Putting it all together
The backup schedule that you run will be important in determining how much damage you suffer. For instance, if your last backup was done a year ago, when you recover your system it will look the way it did one year ago. Here is an example of a backup schedule:
Full backup - Once a quarter
Incremental backup - Once a week
ERD - Once a month
This means that the "oldest" your machine will be after a restore is one week. Now you can run any schedule that you want to, but understand that backups take time to run and space on your "backup" hard drive. You will be limited by these factors.
NOTE: Restore is the term used to describe retrieving the files or system from a backup. To do this in windows, simply follow the instructions in the Help section for the Backup Utility. In addition, it is a good idea to print out the instructions for restoring from a backup so that you have them in case your computer goes "splat".
Step 6 - I just called to say "Help me with backups"
I've directed you to Microsoft's backup utility and the help files that come along with it. This is different from the other
"labs" where I walked you through actual steps. This is because each Windows platform 95, 98, 2000, NT, XP is different, so it's best to direct you to the platform's particular Help file. However, if you need help in running the backup or creating a viable backup schedule, then send me an e-mail.
Step 7 - Extra, Extra, Read All About It!!
There is software on the market that will image your drive for you rather than run backups. The difference here is that you can boot from the imaged drive rather than restore your old drive from a backup. This is by far the best way to do things. The imaging takes at most an hour. I have used Norton for over 5 years and it is an amazing product.
Thank you for stopping by and looking at this tutorial
-Schticky
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Last edited by Schticky ; edited 1 time in total
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